Bikes in Apartments

Question

Carol asked: Recently my apartment manager said no bikes in apartments and since then my bike wheel was stolen and neighbor has his bike stolen. Are there any laws that can help me be able to bring it inside again?

Answer

When you rent an apartment, your actions and the landlord’s restrictions are governed by the lease, which is a contract between the two parties. Otherwise, it is your home and you can do as you please. Check your lease to see what is says. If there is no written prohibition on bikes in the apartment, ask the landlord what the basis of the objection is. If there is further objection, I recommend you seek legal advice. Statutes that may be applicable are not within the scope of this site.

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2 comments on “Bikes in Apartments”

This is definitely something to check when looking for an apartment. In areas where cycling is popular, online apartment listings will often indicate what sort of bicycle parking/storage arrangements are available, e.g., bike storage room, covered bike parking, bike racks (probably uncovered if no cover is mentioned), tenant allowed to bring bike inside unit, tenant required to bring any bike inside unit, etc. Many US cities now include requirements for bicycle parking/storage provisions at new apartment complexes in their land development regulations. At an existing complex, if a tenant’s lease agreement prohibits bringing a bike inside the apartment and secure parking is not available elsewhere on site, tenants who want to keep their bikes more securely have limited and inconvenient options, e.g., store one’s bike inside one’s locked car in parking lot–if one has a car.

As for apts/landlords who prohibit bringing bike inside your own apartment, AND that also do not provide any type of bike rack or lockup place outside…right, the tenants are more limited, like having to park further away, or paying for storage somewhere…

OR

tenants, and potential tenants, can specifically tell the landlord that they will not live there, thus the landlord loses potential rent. 1 person may not be much, as someone else probably will rent the apt, and who doesnt own a bike.

BUT I F , especially in a bike-heavy area like college campuses, that enough people tell the landlord that there is no bike parking/securing provision, and that they will move out, or not sign up, AND THEN if the landlord starts getting vacant apartments…THEN the landlord will either have to start lowering rents to make it more attractive in other ways (ie, less amenities = less rent), or they will then install the bike facilities.

It is about supply and demand, to a degree. But bike owners have to TELL the landlord that the reason they will not live there is due to lack of bike facility. Only when the landlord hears the reasons and then sees that it affects their bottom line, ie by creating vacant apartments or lower rents on ones that they manage to get occupied, then they may choose to make bike provisions.

Otherwise, you choose to live somewhere else that accommodates your bike. You can just simply choose something that accommodates you, and let a non-caring or non-thinking landlord lose out on ever getting your money.